Does Black Tea Have Antioxidants?

ANSWER:

Black tea DOES have antioxidants

Black tea is loaded with antioxidants that cancel out the free radicals in your body, so if you’re not crazy about fruits or vegetables, consider this beverage instead. Free radicals cause a lot of physical damage, but researchers report that in countries where tea consumption is high, heart disease and some kinds of cancer rates are much lower than they are in the U.S., where tea consumption is lower.

Antioxidant Properties

Black tea comes from the camellia plant and its leaves are fermented, which doesn’t harm the polyphenols, a powerful class of antioxidants. Scientists have found that these block DNA damage caused by tobacco smoking and other environmental hazards. The content of antioxidants in black tea doesn’t depend on how the tea is prepared or consumed. Hot tea, iced tea and even tea powders can be enjoyed year-round to get a heavy dose of the disease-fighting antioxidants in a zero-calorie, affordable beverage.

Black tea contains antioxidants that you can’t get from other food, including thearubigins, catechins and epicatechins. These compounds are considered flavonoids, another type of antioxidant known for its disease-fighting properties. Research studies have found that animals exhibit far less cancer than the general population for the species involved in the program, which demonstrates the remarkable health properties of black tea.